Harris County Treasurer Carla Wyatt is asking voters for another term while facing a pending DWI charge, renewed scrutiny over two prior arrests and questions about the future of the office entrusted with safeguarding county funds.

Wyatt, a Democrat elected in 2022, has been arrested three times since taking office in January 2023. Her most recent arrest came May 9 in Galveston County, where she was charged with driving while intoxicated after a Texas City police officer found her asleep in her vehicle, according to local reports citing court and arrest records.

The case remains pending.

The latest arrest comes as the Harris County Treasurer’s Office itself is already under scrutiny. Earlier this year, Harris County commissioners voted to pursue abolishing the office after an attempted check-fraud incident involving two altered checks totaling nearly $53,000, according to the Houston Chronicle. 

The funds were recovered, but the incident led commissioners to move key fraud-prevention duties away from the Treasurer’s Office and into the Office of Management and Budget.

The Harris County Treasurer’s Office describes the treasurer as the “chief custodian of all Harris County funds.” The office receives and deposits county money, disburses county funds as directed by Commissioners Court, maintains bank-account records and reconciles county fund bank statements.

That responsibility has put Wyatt’s legal troubles and the office’s performance at the center of a public trust debate ahead of the November general election.

According to the Houston Chronicle, a probable cause affidavit in the May DWI case states that a Texas City officer responded around 1:30 a.m. to a report of a vehicle stopped in the left lane of Highway 3. The officer found Wyatt asleep in a Toyota 4Runner with the ignition on, according to the report.

When the officer woke her and asked where she was, Wyatt allegedly first said she was “in heaven,” then later said she believed she was in Houston and was headed to Galveston, the Chronicle reported.

ABC13 reported that documents in the case state the officer smelled alcohol and alleged Wyatt used the vehicle to maintain her balance by sitting on the rear bumper. The station reported that Wyatt was arrested after a DWI investigation.

Wyatt’s attorney has denied that she committed a crime in the May case and said the defense intended to review the evidence.

The May arrest was Wyatt’s second DWI arrest since taking office. In December 2023, Wyatt was arrested in Houston and charged with DWI. 

KPRC reported that officers found Wyatt in the driver’s seat of a running vehicle stopped in the roadway near Scott Street and Old Spanish Trail. According to the police report, officers wrote that Wyatt had slurred speech, balance issues and smelled of alcohol. KPRC also reported that the police report stated Wyatt later provided a breath sample that registered between .365 and .367.

Court records cited by local media show the 2023 DWI case was dismissed in August 2024 after Wyatt completed a pretrial diversion program. Prosecutors also accused Wyatt of violating bond conditions twice in 2024 while that case was pending, according to local reports.

Wyatt was arrested again in December 2025 and charged with burglary of a motor vehicle after Houston police responded to allegations that she had entered a vehicle that did not belong to her in a Washington Avenue parking lot.

ABC13 reported that investigators said Wyatt claimed she had permission to be in the Toyota minivan, while the vehicle’s owner said she did not know Wyatt and had not given her permission.

Wyatt’s attorney denied any intent to steal and said nothing was taken from the vehicle. He also pointed to medical evaluations related to possible cerebrovascular issues and what was described as a possible “mini-stroke” around the time of the incident, according to local reports.

A Harris County grand jury declined to indict Wyatt in April, ending the criminal case. A no-bill means the grand jury did not find sufficient grounds to move forward with prosecution.

The legal timeline has unfolded alongside questions about the Harris County Treasurer’s Office.

In February, commissioners voted to pursue abolishing the Harris County Treasurer’s Office during the 2027 legislative session, according to the Houston Chronicle. The move followed the attempted fraud incident involving two altered checks that were approved for payment by Treasurer’s Office staff despite alerts from the county’s financial system, according to the report.

The debate over the office predates Wyatt’s latest arrest. Some county officials have argued that the elected treasurer position is outdated and that its duties can be handled elsewhere. Others have argued that eliminating an elected financial office could reduce public accountability over county funds.

Wyatt is running for another term while facing a pending criminal charge and a record that has drawn criticism from her opponent.

Katy Christian Magazine sent Wyatt a list of questions asking about the pending DWI case, the prior arrests, the fraudulent-check incident, safeguards inside her office and whether her legal or personal issues have affected her ability to serve.

Wyatt responded by email, “Thank you for your email. I have no comment.”

Republican Marc Cowart, who is running against Wyatt in the November general election, said Wyatt no longer meets the standard required for the office.

“Harris County has an annual budget of over $2.7 billion. The Harris County Treasurer is the chief custodian of those funds and, as such, needs to be a person of high moral character, responsibility and accountability,” Cowart said.

“The current Treasurer, who has three arrests since being elected four years ago, does not meet that standard. Carla Wyatt has broken the public trust and must be replaced in the November General Election so that Harris County taxpayers can be assured that their hard-earned tax dollars are secure.”

The November race will give Harris County voters a direct say in who should oversee the office while county leaders consider whether the office should continue to exist in its current form.

Wyatt has not been convicted in the pending May DWI case, and the December vehicle burglary case ended when a grand jury declined to indict her. Still, the pattern of arrests, the attempted fraud issue and the county’s move to shift duties away from her office have made public trust the central issue in the Harris County Treasurer’s race.

Voters will have to decide whether the current treasurer has earned another term.